Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Ron Abernathy today announced a lawsuit over an investigation into the alleged rape of Megan Rondini, a former University of Alabama student who committed suicide, has been dismissed.

"A lawsuit filed against two investigators and me regarding the Megan Rondini suicide has been dismissed," Abernathy announced at a news conference. "It was dismissed because it was unfounded from the beginning."

Abernathy went on to discuss the intense scrutiny the investigation came under on social media. He expects civil lawsuits to be filed in connection with the allegations lodged on Facebook and other social media platforms.

"False allegations made by internet bloggers and certain out of state journalists, and perpetuated by local political hacks have done damage to our community in that some victims have been reluctant to come forward to report cases, fearing that their information will be made known on social media," Abernathy said. "For those who have facilitated these injustices on Facebook and other sites, civil litigation should be expected, if for no other reason than to prevent this from occurring in the future."